Compressive support orthosis tights, particularly for the post-partum period

ABSTRACT

A compressive elastic-tights orthosis with an abdominal portion, or compressive knit, having a waist, front, back and, and groin, and adjoining two leg portions of compressive knit, the abdominal portion having a substantially triangular starched front region extending inward from the waist to the groin and having little deformability by providing high-pressure elasticity in both lateral and vertical directions, whereby, when the orthosis is worn, the front region exerts substantially constant pressure against the abdomen, in opposition to deformation of the abdomen, and the two leg portions exert vascular pressure on the lower limbs.

The invention relates to the field of compressive orthoses for the lowerlimbs, and generally known as “elastic tights”.

Such elastic tights serve to apply strong compression to the lower limbswith pressure that decreases progressively from the ankle, and they areindicated for various syndromes involving venous insufficiency. They aremade of elastic material, typically a knit of very fine mesh, with thetights being very accurately dimensioned so as to provide the looked-fordegressive pressure.

Insofar as it is desired to apply compression to the lower limbs thatdecreases on going up the leg, the abdominal portion is a portion ofrelatively low elasticity, and does not provide significant compression(compressive support) of the abdomen.

It is often desired, in particular for pregnancy tights (as in DE-U-7515833), to reduce elasticity in the abdomen zone in order to make thisportion of the tights more deformable, thereby enabling the tights toadapt appropriately to the changes in volume of the abdomen duringpregnancy.

In contrast, the object of the invention is to provide elastic tightsthat provide significant compression of the abdomen (i.e. tights thatare not very deformable in this region), in combination with compressionof the lower limbs, and suitable for use in particular in rehabilitationof the abdomen after giving birth (postpartum).

More precisely, the compressive orthosis of the invention, whichincludes an abdominal portion of compressive knit and two attached legportions, also of compressive knit, is characterized in that theabdominal portion includes, in the front, a region of increasedelasticity and of substantially triangular shape extending between thewaist and the groin, said region of reinforced elasticity being suitableand intended, particularly during the post-partum period, for exertingsubstantially constant pressure on the abdomen in combination withvascular pressure on the lower limbs by means of the leg portions.

In a first implementation, the region of increased elasticity is formedby adding a patch of cloth having reinforced two-dimensional elasticity.In another implementation, it is formed by knitting elasticreinforcement.

Such a structure makes it possible to exert constant pressure on theabdomen and to provide the patient with continuous help and comfortduring the period of rehabilitation that follows childbirth.

An embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to theaccompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 is a front view of elastic tights of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same tights.

In the figures, there is shown in diagrammatic manner a compressiveorthosis in the form of a pair of elastic tights having an abdominalportion 1 of compressive knit and two associated leg portions 2,likewise of compressive knit.

The knit is conventional, the invention being applicable to any knitstructure known to a specialist in knitting techniques (weft knit, plainknit, ribbed, nipped-in or float stitch micromesh, etc.).

This type of knit is used, for example, in the elastic stockings andtights sold by Innothera Topic under the registered trademark Varisma.

The materials used may be elastane covered in cotton and polyamide,elastane covered in polyamide but without cotton, or indeed a mixture ofelastane and elasto-diene (rubber latex).

To enable significant pressure to be applied to the abdomen, a highlyelastic patch 4 is provided in a substantially triangular region definedby the waist 3 and by the groin, said patch being made, for example, ofcompressive elastic cloth of the type given reference No. 13638-6 by thefirm Elastic (of Catteins, Austria).

The patch can be a knit, a warp and weft structure, a woven weave, etc.

In a variant, this highly elastic portion 4 can be made by knitting(knitting elastic reinforcement).

The main characteristic of the portion 4, whether it is an add-on patchor part of the knitting, is that it provides high-pressure elasticity inboth directions, so that it acts like a starched front.

The knitting of the portion 4 can be implemented using any known type ofknit, with or without a thread that is plated (i.e. with an additionalthread being included while knitting is being performed).

The article made in this way provides combined compression of theabdomen and of the lower limbs, which combined compression isparticularly indicated for syndromes of venous insufficiency induced bypregnancy, or associated with the period preceding and followingchildbirth.

During the period of abdominal rehabilitation after childbirth, theeffect of compressing the abdomen is to push back the waist of theabdomen as extended by pregnancy, in opposition to the naturaldeformation of the abdomen.

What is claimed is:
 1. A compressive elastic-tights orthosis,comprising: (a) an abdominal portion, of compressive knit, having awaist, front, back and, and groin, and adjoining (b) two leg portions ofcompressive knit, characterized in that said abdominal portion includinga substantially triangular starched front region extending inward fromthe waist to the groin and having little deformability by providinghigh-pressure elasticity in both lateral and vertical directions,whereby, when said orthosis is worn, said front region exertssubstantially constant pressure against the abdomen, in opposition todeformation of the abdomen, and said two leg portions exert vascularpressure on the lower limbs.
 2. A compressive orthosis of elastic tightstype, comprising an abdominal portion (1) of compressive knit and twoadjoining leg portions (2), likewise of compressive knit, said abdominalportion including, in front, a region (4) of substantially triangularshape extending between waist and groin, characterized in that saidregion (4) extending between the waist and the groin is a region withlittle deformability forming a starched front, providing high-pressureelasticity in both dimensions, whereby said region exerts on the abdomenduring the post-partum period a substantially constant pressure inopposition to the deformation of the abdomen, in combination withvascular pressure on the lower limbs by means of the leg portions.
 3. Acompressive orthosis of claim 2, wherein said front region is formed bya cloth patch having two-dimensional elastic reinforcement.
 4. Thecompressive orthosis of claim 3, wherein said front region is formed byknitting elastic reinforcement into the abdominal portion.